1998/09/08 by David Charbonneau, Saurabh Jha, Robert W. Noyes · 18 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Amplitude #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Earth radius #Exoplanet #History and Developments in Astronomy #Line (geometry) #Orbital inclination #Planet #Planetary system #RADIUS #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/311703
published in The Astrophysical Journal 507(2), L153-L156 (IOP Publishing) · 8 pages, 4 figures, uses emulateapj.sty, accepted by ApJ Letters
arxiv created 1998/09/08 · openalex publication_date 1998/11/10 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We discuss the interpretation of the distortions to the stellar spectral lines, with particular attention to line bisectors in the presence of an orbiting planetary companion. We present a simple model whereby light reflected by the companion can cause temporal variations to the observed line profiles. These distortions have a characteristic signature that depends on the inclination angle of the system. For the known close-in extrasolar giant planets, the expected amplitude of the effect might not be far from current detection capabilities. This method could be used to detect the presence of the companion directly, yielding the orbital inclination and hence the planetary mass. Futhermore, a detection would measure a combination of the planetary radius and albedo, from which a minimum radius may be deduced.